Two Masters of the Air Return to Europe | History Traveler Episode 332

right now I'm in Belgium and uh in the past few episodes of History traveler we've been talking about the Battle of the Bulge and uh one thing that we haven't really discussed yet is air support during the Battle of the Bulge both when it was present and when because of weather uh it was not well right now uh we are just outside of the city of St Tron and we're at the local airport which served as an Airfield for the US Army Air Force uh during World War II in this particular region and we've also brought along a few guys who were right here in [Music] 1944 [Music] [Music] [Music] as I mentioned uh we are here at St Tron at uh the Airfield where an element of the ninth Air Force operated during uh latter part of 1944 into 1945 and they have this plaque here that is dedicated to the men of the 48th Fighter Group who flew out of here during the Battle of the Bulge uh now we have a couple of veterans with us today one of them a fighter pilot who was with the 48th and another a B17 bombarder uh this episode's going to be a little bit different it's going to be a little bit less of me yapping and uh a little bit more listening to some of these guys and some local historians so bman C in Belgium uh east of Belgium croa my name is Henrik schs born and raised here in this city of croen and croen it's it's 10 km away from the French speaking part of Belgium which is why croen also has a name Sr and SRO that's how American veterans still today well at least the veterans were're here in 4445 remember uh the city and especially the air base we're here at the former Air Base uh of brist which is a village of croa and the air base really it was started in 1936 but when I say started you can only imagine it was just a grass field so no buildings no runways no nothing it was an emergency Airfield for the Belgian Air Force uh two squadrons that were stationed in Naval Nel uh because obviously the they were starting to figure out what a guy named Adolf Hilter was doing in Germany uh people were expecting a second war and uh they were taking precautions hence the emergency Airfield here in case that the German lwaa would bomb uh the Belgian airfields that they knew all too well and obviously on May 40 10th of May 1940 that's exactly what happened so the German lwaa attacked invaded Belgium attacked airfields so the two squadrons had to leave from Naval came in the early morning of May 10 to croa uh but obviously in two days they were wiped out had to flee to France and then C was occupied by the Germans and really the Germans in 1941 42 they were the ones that started building a true Airbase here so three runways concrete runways buildings hangers uh anything that that that that that people now imagine that when field has to be that was what the Germans built here and for 4 years the base here was a a German night fighter base so the second group of nakak kwad one uh was stationed here um for those familiar with World War II and the German lufa Hines wolfang Schauer the most successful German night fighter uh was based here stationed here he shot down 121 English bombers uh over the course of three 3 years uh he was with the second groupa uh then he went to the north of Holland and in uh March 44 the second groupa left for Germany the fourth groupa of which Schauer was the commander came to croen so again Scher was here but they were here until the first week of September because croen was liberated by the Americans uh on September 8th September 99 1944 and because the town was liberated by the Americans you could imagine you can assume that this was uh American territory and that is why uh American Engineers the a Aviation Engineer Battalion two battalions actually came in uh already the second week of September and started repairing runways buildings uh taking away mines or any explosive devices left by by the Germans and indeed they managed within 3 weeks to get the base operational so on September 30th 1944 base declared operational the first American fighter group The 404th Fighter Group equipped with p47 Thunderbolt uh had by then arrived taken up their quarters in baingan another Village part of of croa right off the the air base and in two days they were followed by a second Fighter Group the 48 uh us Fighter Group also a could p47 Thunderbolt and uh the guy started flying missions as of October 2nd 1944 and these two fighter groups were here for 6 months [Music] [Music] [Music] that's [Applause] all right we have moved to the part of the Airfield where the original airst strip was uh during World War II and you can see it's kind of uh well not in operational shape anymore and uh we also have a gentleman here by the name of Ed cotrol who was a p47 pilot who flew uh or or utilized uh this very Runway flying close air support missions during the Battle of the Bulge uh so anyway uh we're going to listen to a few of his stories we got a little bit of rain going on here so you have to Pardon uh some of the the moisture on the lens but uh yeah very very interesting to be here okay this this is the end of the runway and four R4 P 47s were over here parked one 2 3 4 with motors running and the F and the FK wolf 190s eight of them came in over this Runway and up here this is the the we are here now and the planes were located our planes were right there at that sides here was a burnt out B17 and here was a burnt out B24 the Fulk wolf 190s paid no attention to us when they they came they just and we're sitting in our planes and there's no way we can take off so we see them firing and the Faulk wolves did not drop their belly tanks they kept their belly their belly tanks on which were had fuel in it as they went through they turned and the antiaircraft we could see one or two of them getting hit and so the first pass they made I was in we were in our plane the second pass we were behind the the wheel of the plane on the ground and the third pass right here is a ditch and that ditch is still there we were in that ditch and an fw1 190 came down and we we're standing is where he crashed right here oh this is where he crashed and the plane exploded he flew out and he landed over there we went to him and he had a bullet hole in the middle of his forehead and he had to be 16 years old 17 years old and that was the last fw190 he was the only one left and then he crashed right here and that but we were in that ditch and it's it's still there which uh behind and uh people when I tell people they say ditch and so we were the last time I took them over and showed them it it's it is a ditch but um this run this Runway was a great Runway to fly off of I mean you could bring you could bring down and you didn't have to worry about Landing you if you landed a quarter of the way down you still had plenty this was a German Concrete where we are standing here that's original made in 4142 if if if this were dry you would still see some of the oil oil stain on this Runway MH it's still it's still here and we lived we are our planes were based over there based in over in here where we are standing from time and that's where and I lived up in in the uh the barracks up at the end of the uh about a mile from here and we could look down and see the base and then we came down here to eat and briefings and everything mhm our our 48th Fighter Group the 493rd were on a mission and I didn't fly as I told you I was on Runway alert my roommate that day got hit by Flack and got killed on January 1st of 45 and so I lost two run roommates uh in uh December one on the 17th and one on January 1st first wow and there were there were seven of us in a room we seven of us lived together uh Ed where do you think Dad Bud crashed oh he uh I'm sure that if he C if he landed it had to be on this Runway cuz the only one that was operational so he crashed he he landed on this Runway somewhere in here on this front way and I'm sure that it's probably going to be right in here okay and where are we standing right now right here okay all right so I just shoot this one that's where and if you look over here there's a there's a piece there's a piece of the runway Mission yeah Vincent for my Hunter's birthday Vincent came here and cut out a piece of this runway show them where it is V there it is there it is okay so I I have a I have a piece of this runway in my in my study at [Laughter] home that's where he got cut to run so as Ed catrell and the other p-47s were right here on Runway alert on January 1st when those eight Fulk wolf 190s came in and started strafing the runway this is the exact trench that Ed rolled in for cover uh you can still see the depression here after all the years it's overgrown now but uh this is one of the ditches that saved his life uh the 48th had flown out of England so all the pilots that came in out of England were the older pilots and I was assigned to a George pulis's plane which he called our Mary and so when he flew I didn't fly when I flew he didn't fly we shared the plane it was his plane and when I got shot up on December 17th he was one mad cookie cuz that plane was was the engine was completely but it was uh he and I shared a playing together and Ed on their um Mission when your Thunderbolt was hit was this the same Runway where you landed yes I when I came in and and I landed here Dead stick it we the motor wasn't running when I engine wasn't running when I hit the runway it quit back here a little bit can you maybe tell the story of of how your funderbolt was hit in the mission uh and uh on December 17th we were assigned a mission to go search for Tiger tanks there uh the the rumor was that the Germans were moving into bass they were going to moving in as a counter attack to the Americans and and uh we were told that there were a lot of tiger tanks being coming in from Germany in towards Bastone and so our mission was to go to the in to the coin area and look for Tiger tanks and specifically we were told that there was a group of tiger tanks in a Woods wooded area so on December 17th the 12 planes led by my our squadron commander major lch I I flew Wing to him that day he was the leader I was second plane and we flew down to Copelands and as we were circling around he got on the uh radio and said I spot tanks so get ready to make bomb run so he was first down I was second Down When we dropped our bombs and pulled up we're going back up and I looked at 1:00 and I saw an me 109 and he was aimed at my squadron commander and I called him and at that time he turned and I saw him his 20 mm blinking then all of a sudden pop and I had black oil all over my windshield and the pl the engine started and I knew I was hit so I had to throw the canopy back to see and uh I called him and told him I was a hit and he said well take 270 which is West to get home to go and I said I don't know how far I can fly it whether I jump or what and I'm chugging along and I look and on the right's a 109 and on the left's a 109 and they're out here and they I see them start to drop back and so I'm waiting for cuz I know it's going to come they didn't they crossed and came in and they flew with me I don't know how far we flew not very far but apparently we might they must have known where the bomb line was cuz they went like that peeled off and then I got on my radio and and asked if anybody picked me up and a guy said what's your Airfield and I told him a92 and he said you're not very far from it make a 90 degree turn and I didn't so I can I we were I came in from the south and I I knew nothing of what's south of this Airfield I've never seen anything south we always came up from this direction from the north so uh I just flew then I suddenly sound the saw the field and I come in and as I said the motor quit somewhere where enough that I could Coast in and I I landed here and then they came out and towed to play in there so I was lucky can I ask you something yes what was the the uh the name of the guy that is buried in Marr at the Dutch Cemetery Ted Smith I have a little present I want you to open it here I think is very special for to open it here for you there a little gift that I oh thank you pardon me I'm a little nervous thank you you're welcome that's when I saw his grave for the first time we went back and when the flight came back they told me that told us that Ted had been hit by Flack and he'd crashed what is your favorite memory of him what is your that you remember of him uh he and I went through flight school together so we were real close friends okay uh we graduated together what kind of person was he great uh he he was a family he he had he had a wife just like I did and he was from wachi Washington and uh he just was a just a great great guy and we were we he and I were and another guy named John clay the three of us went through advanced flight school and we hung around together going out no no we never we never went out okay well at Luke with they we couldn't go out if we wanted to and we never did here because we weren't allowed to go into St Tron I never went into town and once if you had if you got a day off you could go to Brussels and I only went to Brussels [Music] once here we are in the German Runway and you can see here at this place a reparation of the American Engineers of a bomb crater after the great bombings who took place in August of 1944 by uh by the Allies it were about 100 lancasters who came on by uh by by uh by noon un they left here 1,000 bombs and they created as you can see on this picture they created the three runways and here on this side is that reparation that uh the American stake after our Liberation in September of 1944 and in about 3 weeks they made this Runway they prepared it and that is the the most moment when uh the 48 Fighter Group and the 44 Fighter Group came here uh to occupy here in in brist C so let me just show this again uh the the gentleman who was just speaking was Donnie UB oh man I just butchered his name he's a local historian here but if you look he he talked about the Allied bombing that took place on this Runway when it was controlled by the Germans and you can see right here here the outline of that bomb crater that hit the runway that was later repaired by the Americans so interesting and if he wouldn't have been here I would have never known that all right now uh we have another gentleman here with us by the name of uh Bud hedi who was a bombarder on a B17 and uh also has a pretty interesting story about how he utilized this Runway uh yeah I was I was wondering if you can kind of just tell me like what your role was um on on the B7 and then also tell me about that first mission well I dropped the bombs on ham Germany February 16th 1945 and uh German 88 mm canons shot out two of our engines they were on fire and of course they were out but you can't stay up on two engines in a B7 so the pilot if I recall suggested to get ready to bail out but we had an experienced guy and I still don't know why maybe to help a new crew and he said don't bail out how much fuel do you have and where are the German lines cuz they were at that time retreating back you know into Germany so uh we stayed with the plane and as I said we didn't go down like that but we couldn't keep altitude so I guess he ran out of altitude here and this is where we crash and that's about all I can remember and know and now tell them about uh the guy who came out we crashed and I open a little side window and this guy walked out he must have been a fighter pilot like Ed and he said if I may what are you doing here with that big ass Bird that's exactly what he said and I said to him what are all the German signs today it makes sense based on what Ed said because Ed flew he was flying 5 months before yes and uh and then somebody told us the FK wolves attack them here yeah but when you saw those signs you thought you were in enemy territory until this American came out yeah and uh never thought it'd be back here meaning uh Empire State Building in the York you know specific targets and we went to saturation bombing we not nice we dropped on the center of town Berlin Dresden killed thousands of people not nice but it ended the war a year earlier Germany I saw it on coming back I think one of our last missions I mean we let down to maybe 5,000 ft mhm total ruins so so relate that to tag in bombad oh yeah so I watch the lead plane in my Squadron as the others about nine other planes in a squadron when that guy opened his Bombay doors I open mine okay when I saw the first bomb drop out of his we all dropped and that's what Satur knocked out electricity water everything and who Whoever thought of that had the right idea because uh terrible really terrible but it ended the war it's like uh I met people some years ago that were really criticizing Truman for approving the atomic bomb MH and I had to in fact it was in a lounge in Kansas City and I left my guy guys I was in sales and I went to them and I said uh I was a guy that Dro bombs in World War to over so I said no no I'm not here to pick on you but what amazes me is how intelligent you are about something that happened before you were thought of I said it'd be like me uh criticising criticizing General Grant for something he did in the Civil War and I said uh hirosima uh 140,000 people were killed 140 106 terrible nakasaki about another 40 or 50 over 200,000 and a invasion was planned for Japan just like D-Day here and they estimated 1 million Americans would die 2 million Japanese cuz they were so fanatic so 2 million versus 200,000 we save life actually but not at you know I don't like that when people criticize somebody a 100 or 50 years ago they think they know better yeah yeah I mean uh being in a different situation huh being different then yeah absolutely different times and uh the people who's kids were saved or husbands uh they're very thankful lot of those people who were complaining wouldn't be alive if it that's absolutely true yeah the only thing that happened to me when I speak in schools I'll be talking M and I'll go like this and then I'll say what are you looking at you think I'm bald I have a crew cut only the crew bail hel [Laughter] [Music] out [Music]

Channel: The History Underground

Views: 61,778

Keywords: wwii, wwii history, ww2 history, history traveler, history underground, masters of the air, b-17, p-47, thunderbolt, battle of the bulge

Id: 89rnuCbfKMM

Length: 30min 35sec (1835 seconds)

Published: Sun Jan 28 2024